The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-08-07
line Of the sameEcolor along the edges OF the
lids. Across the footlights the desired effect IS
reached, and the deception is seldom discovered.

line Of the samefcolor along the edges OF the
lids. Across the footlights the desired effect IS
reached, and the deception is seldom discovered.
There never was a woman born to civilization
but at one time or another she had sneaklng
idea of going on the stage. The notion Rener-
orally leaves her by the time she is sixty. a
friend of mine had been startled by narsh TI
voice shouting out expressions of misery. i1o
had made up his mind that he was listening 10
some neglected wife, but when she struck a
higher key and cried '.Infrm of purposet give
me the dagger" he concluded that Doctor =.
had private lunatic on his second floor. Inc
Doctors wife asked if / had met Mr.. Howler.
professor of elocution. Then l inquired VINO
was employing him, and how much damage mad
he already done the premises Mrs. Doctor
=. slmpered. and said that she had taken re"
lessons l looked at her in amazement She
was plain, fat woman of fifty eight, with no
waist neck, dull little lead-colored eyes. and
pudgy nose like 5aby's foot. standing guard
over mouth that was made to taste
soups and sauces, not to spout blank
verse. She suggested should hear her recite.
depraved curiosity led to an immediate ac-
ceptance. Mrs G. received me, and begged me
TO excuse her until she dressed. l turned over
albums of theatrical pictures and collections or
plays until was startled at the entrance OF the
stage struck lady. On her head she wore the
trappings Of the regulation Lady Macbeth-a
heavy tiara. with ropes of beads falling under
her double chin. The thermometer was In the
nineties, and red cotton velvet train, trimmed
Win raOOlb ermfne, nung from neaVy VeSct
dress. her gray hair was covered by busting
black carls, and pair of carving knives were
in her cenched fists Her eyes set, and her
brows bent, she commenced the scene with Mac
beth in the second act. Probably nothing SO
funny as Howler's lessons recited by the Doctors
fat wife was ever heard, but that woman was IN
love with her own deformitv. She as
Eliza Logan. Poor Eliza! Now, this lady Is
letter perfect in FaZio," Lad Macbeth, ,''Queen
Catherine" "Medea" and Camille. Not that she
ntnd via To Jlin' atTsY q O
enough" Her fifty eight years are no drawback
but her figure is trife too stout to depict con
sumption. She hasn't thought OF dropsy, or she
probably would tackle the role. Our rehearsal
went merrily on. she giving me the book TO read
Mr.. Macbeth's speeches, till l broke her all mp
By saying: "Yeou bring forth men children
only, fur yeour ondarnted Elettle should kum-
pose no;hn but males"
Not the first time Yankee Thane of Cowaor
had finished Lady Macbeth. Charlotte Cush-
man told me once the funniest incident of her
nous Lady Macbeth in Cincinnati (I believel.
and her worthy Thane arrived in such a state OF
on. The manager bethought him of comedian
he had in his company who was a fine
Shakspearean scholar, q clever imitator of the
then popular tragedians, who had play Macbeth
as q travesty and knew every line of the part
Charlotte accepted him. In the green-room
they through the scenes. and the
curtain after proper apology
for the substitution To keep his courage up
the made Macbeth took drinks till it was
question which the worse off. be or the
leading man. Everything went well enough up
to the banquet scene. when Macbeth missed his
lines. The real article would not come TO alin,
but a comic parody of the speech did, and he
burted out to Banquos ghost, 'feou, git eoutl
Yeoun hain't got speculation inter yer. eyes;
yer hain't got no marrer into yer bones, ana SO
And nv next speech" said Miss Cushman,
twas more appropriate. Instead OF
addressing it to the guests, l turned directly to
the audience and went on, Think of this, good
peers. but thing of custom only; it mars the
pleasure of the time.
'"The men of this decade are more less de-
cayed," said Mrs. Grumps to me. "Al ONO has
got him three china silk night-gowns embroid-
cred profusely on the collar, pocket, sleeves and
up the front" And she can remember the time
when a ten-cent cotton torn" gown WAS good
enough for him. Perhaps some people don't
know the sort of garment torn" implies. Old
fashioned shirts once were series of angles and
demanded no SCISSORS. The women folks toca
their cotton and tore two squares-that made
the body. Two oblong pieces-those were the
sleeves; two small squares-those were the gus
sets that went into the sleeves under the arms
two little squares-they were filed in at the
top of the flaps to stay them; straight strip
for the hand, and there you were. No scissors.
just uncompromsing, ugly succession of
acute angles that you were enabled to tear But
Alonzo got through trucking" years ago, and
his wife looks with horror at the way in
which he catches to each freak of fashion
She has not progressed an inch. Her pieces are
torn in angles while Alonzos scissored in
the most graceful curves known to style
''He gets further away from me every year."
said the poor woman.
There was wild time in Wall street the first
week in July and the last in June. Alonzo was
drafted among the heavy losers. He had been
living up to concert pitch, and his partner wired
him from New York that not red would
impede their view of the poor house if Manhat-
tan fell another point. That night Manhattan
tumbled two points. and the weak AlonZo got
into Chinese embroidered silk nghtgown, load
ed a derringer and wrote his partner a few fee
BILE parting remarks. The watchful old wife had
her eagle eye on him. and as he disappeared in TO
the bathroom she raped decisively the
door. Perhaps he interviewed his feelings. as
he put his gun behind him and admitted his old
wife of his bosom to a monetary conference.
Things amt SO bad" my dear" said she. 81
didn't say any hing to you about it, but bought
in heavy when Manhattan was low. AT the
turning point unloaded. I knew they caught
you, but I'm good for 800. 900. 1 amt much to
look at, but I've been lucky on the street, and
it's all yours"
She had her great reward She was pressed
to the bosom of the white embroidered silk
uight-gown.